My Darkest Hour
by Unlimited Goku
Summary: When Barry Allen discovers new enemies deadlier than ever he races to his most trusted ally, The Emerald Archer, but neither of them anticipated, that this foreign threat, unlike anything they've faced before, has ties to Oliver's past. Can Barry's hope and friendship help save Oliver or is it too late, the dark path seems very alluring. Tale of redemption starts here, Part 1 of 5.
1. Nothing Like This

Mar-Novu, a cosmic entity, who's background/origin is shaded in mystery, is the culmination of the positive energy of the multiverse, whereas his brother Mobius, is the creation/result of the negative matter.

"In the beginning, there was only one… a single black infinitude. Then the infinitude found release, and finally, the darkness broke, filling it with life, with the multiverse. Every existence multiplied by possibility and spread out before space and time in infinite measure. Civilizations rose and fell and rose again to cross realities grasping expanse. Life, a precious gift persevering in the face of every obstacle, until finally, the age of heroes was born. Chaos, the constant enemy of life, kept at bay by champions from across the multiverse. Joining forces to fight on behalf of all creation, they found each other just in time." Mar Novu explained, but just who was he explaining this all to because not everyone is equipped to handle such vast knowledge.

Previously on Arrow and The Flash

Earth 1 Starling City

"So that's my story, I spent my whole life searching for the impossible, never imagining that I would become the impossible." Barry says.

"Then, why come to me, something tells me you didn't just run 600 miles to say hi to a friend." Oliver implied.

"All my life I wanted just do more, be more, and now I am, and the first chance I get to help someone, I screw up. I was chasing the bad guy, and someone died." Barry said with guilt, a rooftop in Starling City.

"If you really do this, you're going to make mistakes. I've made mistakes, but the good you do will far outweigh the bad." Oliver responded.

"What if Wells is right? What if I'm not a hero? What if I'm just some guy who was struck by lightning?" Barry questioned with doubt.

"I don't think that bolt of lightning struck you, Barry, I think it chose you," Oliver responded.

"I'm just not sure I'm you, Oliver, I don't know if I can be some… vigilante." Barry stated, uncertain.

"You can be better, because you can inspire people, in a way that I never could, watching over your city like a guardian angel, making a difference, saving people, in a flash. Take your own advice, wear a mask" Oliver said as he used his bow to cling on the side of the next building.

"Cool." Said Barry looking at his friend's exit. Then he took off running back in the direction of Central City.

"Cool." Said Oliver as he watched his friend run.

~_Later_~

"Hey, by the way," Barry, the Scarlet Speedster of Earth 1, remarked.

"Yeah?" Oliver, The Emerald Archer, inquired curiously.

"You were wrong, when you told me I could inspire people, you said you couldn't, but you were wrong, you can inspire. Not as the Arrow that guy's a douche, but as Oliver Queen." Barry responded.

_~Soon After~_

Nanda Parbat

"There's a legacy here, Oliver. A prophecy rather. Those who survive the blade of Ra's Al Ghul must become Ra's Al Ghul." Serab explained.

"And what if I say no?" Oliver questioned, with firmness in his response.

"I'm afraid that's not an option." Serab taunted, as multiple league of assassin garbed members descended upon the two of them and drew their swords in Oliver's direction.

"Maseo, you don't have to do this!" Oliver screamed.

"Maseo Yomisharo is no more, I am Al-Serab," Serab screamed as he drew his sword. Oliver warded him off, but the number was overwhelming. Serab made his escape while Oliver was fighting through all the chaos.

_~Much, Much, much Later~_

Earth 3

"We're not gods, Barry. We're just men that were blessed with extraordinary abilities." Jay Garrick, the flash of Earth 3, informed Barry.

Earth 1

"Oliver, I need your help," Barry informed his friend over the phone.

"Alright, I'm on my way," Oliver responded.

~Later~

Central City

Oliver pulls up on his motorcycle.

"Sorry I don't have super speed, Barry." The Emerald Archer spoke, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"It's cool, but listen, we have a huge problem, and I can't tell my team until I figure out exactly what it is we're up against. "Barry exclaimed in a panic.

"Barry, Barry, Barry! Relax, I get it. That's why I told Felicity and Dig, that I need to go on a solo mission, and I had to keep it under wraps, cause anyone, and I mean anyone finds out, and the entire mission is compromised." Oliver said, trying to ease his friend's nerves.

"Now, what are we up against?" Oliver asked, regathering his vulgar.

"I'm not entirely sure yet, beasts?" The Scarlet Speedster said confused.

"What do you mean by beasts, Barry? That is far too vogue. You asked for my help, this is what my help looks like. I need answers. If I don't know who…or what we're up against, how the hell do you expect me to strategize and come up with a plan to stop it?" Oliver asked, annoyed.

"Okay, just calm down. It's not like anything we've ever seen before. Doesn't that say a lot? Considering meta-humans, mysticism, zombies, and aliens. Oliver, what we're about to face, looks as human as you and I do." Barry explained.

"Like a man-beast of some sort?" Oliver questioned with curiosity.

"Sorta kinda, something like that. I think they're vampires. Like those stories we knew as kids, about the notorious Count Dracula." Barry explained.

"Vampires, Barry, really?" Oliver questioned in extreme disbelief.

"Really, Oliver, and I don't have the answers, but we both know somebody who might," Barry exclaimed.

"And who might that be again?" Oliver questioned.

"Mari McCabe. Vixen? Detroit? A totem with animal powers? Help you get your son back from Damien Darkh. Anything ring a bell to you?" Barry questioned, as he seen a look of genuine confusion come across his friend's face.


	2. Confirmation

"I remember Mari, Barry. The problem is we don't even know where she's at. If we go all the way to Detroit, and she's not even there, then all we are doing, is wasting our time." Oliver noted with intensity.

"Then, we'll come back, and I don't know, tell our teams, get Kara's help, the legends maybe?" Barry suggested.

"Who's to say, by then it won't be too late? Who's to say that by then these vampires, if that's really what we're calling them right now, won't be closing in on Star and Central City? We don't even have a location for them right now." Oliver mentioned.

"You're right, but Mari's our best shot at getting intel, on these things, so if you have a better idea, I'm open to suggestion," Barry responded.

"You make a good point, but why would they even be our problem, why are they headed this way? What is their end game, and what are they after?" Oliver questioned.

"Ray said that Khufu and Kendra mentioned them before, but they have no idea where neither one of them are, and that they took particular interest in Malcolm Merlyn and the league of assassins. I think Merlyn told Kendra that Ra's Al Ghul once had a run-in with them." Barry elaborated.

"Well, the league is in shambles. Nyssa disbanded it. Now her, Thea, and Roy are searching for and shutting down every remaining Lazarus Pit. OF course, Merlyn, Talia, and Ra's loyalists are showing resistance, and have tried to restart it as the Thanatos Guild, so if that's where they want answers from, they're going to have one hell of a hard time getting it out of them." Oliver explained.

"Unless Merlyn spills the beans," Barry added.

"Malcolm Merlyn, for all intents and purposes, is dead. Caught in the explosion of Lian Yu." Oliver rebuttal.

"For now, but, come on, be real with yourself for at least a moment Oliver. You and I both know Merlyn has multiple ways of cheating death, didn't Sara say they called him the magician for a reason. We both seen him come back far too many times. And he knows both of our identities. Is that a risk your willing to take?" Barry asked with genuine concern.

"Your right to be cynical Barry, Malcolm Merlyn is extremely sadistic, cunning, and elusive, well let's stay alert, and be very vigilant." Oliver reassured.

Detroit

With that Barry grabbed Oliver and ran to Detroit. They knocked on a door, and a middle-aged medium built light brown-skinned man answered.

"Well, I know Halloween just passed, but aren't the two of you far too old to be playing dress-up and trick or treating." The man asked.

"We've just come to see Mari. Is she home?" asked the Flash.

"Yeah, I'm right here. Thanks, Chuck, I'm alright, I can take care of things here, I've got it handled. You can go back inside now." Said the yellow-clad heroine of darker skin color, with long black hair.

"Trying something different with your hair these days, Mari?" Barry asked.

"Yeah, I just thought that I'd recreate myself since I've found my purpose/calling. Part of my new identity evolution. Anyway, what brings the two of you all the out here? Detroit's quite the distance from Star and Central City." Mari responded.

"But not that far from Chicago. And as nice as it is to see you again, Mari, we're here on serious business. So, I'll get straight to the point. We're dealing with some very unusual circumstances, and Barry thinks you might have some intel. So, I'm going to ask you only once. Have you been there lately? And if the answer is yes, did you interact or notice any strange characters?" Oliver interjected.

"First off, Oliver, you need to relax! This is my city; therefore, I should be the one asking the questions here, but you did make the effort coming all the way out here on a hunch. I gotta say, a phone call or a text would've been so much easier." Mari responded with vigor.

"Not when your best bud and your girlfriend can track and trace everything, like, ever. Listen Mari, Oliver and I are trying to keep our teams as far away from this as possible, at least until we know what we're up against here. And Oliver, Mari's right. She's a friend of ours, she helped you save your son, dude just relax. Chill off on the interrogation." Barry scolded.

"You know what, you're right. You're both right. I'm treating you like an enemy or an acquaintance we're at odds with instead of a friend and ally. For that, I do apologize Mari. I'm just more than a little thrown off by the situation." Oliver apologized.

"It's okay, but I can't help you without knowing exactly what situation we're referring to here. I was in Chicago recently, on a reconnaissance mission. As a cover-up, I went to the art museum. I examined a few pieces." Mari revealed.

"And did you find anything out of the ordinary? Like things, regular people wouldn't believe, like the stuff of myths and legends. Folklore-ish?" Barry asked, desperately trying to get answers.

"I'm going to need more details than that. I need a better description." Mari answered.

"Wings, Fangs, things of that nature." Barry elaborated.

"Like that man-bat thing that was running around Gotham awhile back?" Mari asked, dubious.

"Not exactly. Similar, but like much more man than bat, and much more intense. Like Count Dracula crossed with another rogue meta." Barry added.

"You mean, like Vampires, right?" Vixen said, starting to put the pieces together.

"That's entirely what he means. We just want to confirm whether this is a real issue. Do they truly exist?" Oliver asked, as cynical as ever.

"I can answer that honestly, but you're not going to like it," Mari responded with dread. Oliver looked at her puzzled, while the look on Barry's face screamed of both excitement and horror. As she explained what she discovered.

"Oh, they're real alright, as real as all of us are at least. That much I can assure you of." Mari started.


	3. Exposition

"When I was in Chicago yesterday. My last day there, I saw one of them, I actually met one, I didn't engage, but we had a conversation." Vixen continued.

"And what was said, when and where, Mari, that's not enough, WE NEED DETAILS!" Oliver interjected, voice raising, as he was getting agitated.

"OLIVER! JUST CHILL OUT!" Barry yelled back.

"Excuse us, for a moment please Mari," Barry asked nervously.

"No problem, because you seriously need to talk to him, if he yells at me again, he's getting torn apart by the claws of wolverine," Mari remarked, obviously annoyed with Oliver's behavior.

Barry grabbed Oliver, and sped about 10 miles away and put him down.

"Listen, man! Mari's on our side, she's trying to help as much as she can. I don't know what your problem is with her, or today, I don't know if something's going on between you and Felicity, but I only asked you cause I figured I could use your help, and the fact that whoever these vampires are got their eyes set on the league of assassins, your sister might get caught in the crossfire, and if I know you, Oliver, that is the last thing you want. But we don't need your criticism and your overbearing aggressiveness. We're all on the same team. So let me know now. Is this too much for you to handle all at once? If it is then fine, I'll take you back to Star City, and I'll call Kara and The Legends." Barry asked.

"No, I'm fine, I'm sorry. It's just. My team, Barry, is just starting to pick up the pieces. After the detonation of Lian Yu. Dig was hurt, and as much as I despise Malcolm Merlyn, he was Thea's father, and in his final seconds, he gave it all up for her. Probably the most selfless thing he's done his entire life. And Samantha Clayton. The mother of my son died. My son is now in my care, he knows my secret and has asked me to stop being the Green Arrow, and just be a father, and I can't even do that right now. I'm not there to protect or comfort him. So yeah, it's a lot. But if you think for one second, I'm going to turn my back on Thea, you're wrong. From now on, I'm okay. I'm calm, I'm levelheaded, no more outburst, I promise." Oliver explained.

"Okay, then we're going back to Mari. You sure about this?" Barry asked again for reassurance.

"I'm sure, Oliver nodded.

With that, Barry grabbed Oliver and sped back 10 miles to Mari.

"Mari, once again I apologize, it's just been a really tough time in my life right now. A lot of things I can't explain going on." Oliver pleaded.

"Listen, I get it. Detroit may not be a city of angels, but Star City is like a terrorist attraction." Mari remarked.

Oliver smirked, while Barry and Mari had a good laugh over it.

"Okay, enough, back to the matter at hand. Where in Chicago did you meet/see them, and what did they say to indicate or imply their true nature?" Oliver asked, restoring the seriousness to the matter.

"Funny Barry mentioned the notorious Count Dracula earlier because that's exactly what he said his name was. I met him at the museum. Now wings, just fangs. We were both examining a piece of masterful art by a curator named Niklaus Mikaelson. It was crafted early 20th century, like the year 1912. I asked him wasn't it marvelous. He said indeed it is, and then he said, he knew the one who created it, Niklaus. I responded out of curiosity; I'm how is that possible? This thing was made way back in the 1900s. His response was simple.

He simply said, 'Let's just say, I've been around a very long time. Due to some secrets, I'm able to retain my youthfulness. And when you've been around as long as I have, you run into and meet some very interesting people along your journey,'

I responded by just saying, 'Okay, good to know, well Count Dracula, I got to go, someone's waiting for me back home.' And so I walked away, into another section of the museum. All of the other tourists had left already. There were a couple of workers left, myself, and Dracula. When no one was looking I summoned the spider abilities from my totem and attached myself to the ceiling. He looked as though he was in my age range, so I instantly knew there was more to him than he was letting on. At first, I thought to myself

'Did he find the fountain of youth? Or some type of elixir?' So, I scoped on him from a room away, and I watched him show his fangs and massacre every worker in that building. Both of his eyes turned all black with the retina, and the pupils were blood red. His speed was extraordinary as he went from worker to worker, and sorta like mind-controlled them before turning them into his meal. He told the first one, don't scream. The next one, he told them to behave. The third, he said 'It's going to be alright.' And then the fourth he said I'm just a little more than a tad bit parched. The last one tried to run after seeing his coworkers' bodies, lifeless, necks exposed with bite marks. The farthest he got though was the door, as the vampire sped to him.

Before he feasted though, he told him, 'The best part is the chase, I love it when they run.'

Then he proceeded to mutilate him as he did all the others. And then laughing menacingly, while his eyes returned to normal. That period gave me the time to crawl out one of the open windows. Immediately after getting outside. I activated an Eagle and flew back here and went home. I needed to sleep on what I just saw, at least one night to process it. That's why when the two of you showed up here, though I was cynical, it was warranted, I was going to call the two of you anyway." Mari continued.

"Let me ask you one more question, Mari. You don't think, someone with that much destructive power, has to be stopped right away. From what your telling us is that he left puddles of blood, a trail throughout the entire Chicago museum. The rest of that night he could've been slaughtering the rest of Chicago." Oliver explained.

"Maybe, maybe not. Serial killer or not, supernatural or not. Eventually, everyone run's out of energy, maybe he took it easy the rest of the night. You can't hold that against her. We don't know anything about this guy and what he is, we don't know any weaknesses, we don't even have a way of fighting this guy right now, Oliver." Barry interjected.

"Point taken, well at least you could give us a description." Oliver said.

"He was kinda tall, fair skin, brown long hair, a little stubble, and light brown hazel normal eyes. He was wearing a grey tuxedo with the pants to match." Vixen described.

"Well, it seems as though, we're on our way to Chicago. That seems like the most obvious spot we'll get some more answers from. And you both know the saying, where there's smoke," Oliver said.

"There's fire. He might still be there, and he might not be alone. Well, off to Chicago we go." Barry interrupted. Barry grabbed Oliver and ran, as Vixen activated the spirit of an eagle from her totem and flew.


	4. Coordination

Chicago

"Ahh, The Windy City, one of the best this side of the coast," Barry exclaimed, putting Oliver down.

"Unless you're here during the wintertime!" Mari responded.

"Barry, Mari, stay focused. We're not here to sightsee." Oliver reminded.

"Loosen up, man. It's not every day you get to leave the glum of Star City behind." Said the Scarlet Speedster, trying to lighten the mood.

"As I said, we're not here to sightsee, I can venture out and see the world another time. Right now, we need to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. We need to make a pit stop. Follow me." Green Arrow commanded, before running through an alley between buildings. Barry and Mari followed, only to discover that The Emerald Archer had switched into his civilian clothes.

"Yeah, not running around dressed as a superhero might be a start," Barry said, calling his Flash suit back into his ring. Mari stepped behind a building and switched. Oliver walked, with Barry and Mari trailing. He stopped at a semi-abandoned warehouse and knocked on the door. A somewhat shorter, man with black slicked-back hair and fair skin answered.

"Oliver Queen, to what do I owe the pleasure? What brings you here to Chicago? The man asked.

"Hello, Lucien, my friends and I are here, looking into some mysterious things going on here. This is my friend, Barry Allen, he's a crime scene investigator for Central City, sent here to investigate the massacre. And this is Mari. Mari McCabe." Oliver introduced.

"The pleasure is mine. The name's Lucien. Lucien Castle, I run a company that Oliver's former Queen Consolidated was affiliated with. Fair warning, that massacre is an ugly scene, my friend Drake was there and left right before it happened. Funny story, he mentioned meeting you, Mari." Lucien mentioned.

"Drake? Oh, you mean Dracula, The Count." Mari responded.

"Is that what he's calling himself these days? Must still be the kid in him thinking it's Halloween." Lucien responded.

"Well, the three of you are welcomed to stay here, while I go home," Lucien said walking out the door.

"Okay, I know I'm not the only one that just got some super creepy he already knows and probably a part of it vibes going on here just now right?" Mari asked as she closed the door.

"I think it's as good an observation as any. Not my first time out of Star City, definitely not my first time in Chicago, but these people, their ways, mannerisms, speech, patterns, all of that is foreign to us. So, it's our top priority to remain vigilant at all times. Stay observant, don't trust anyone, especially since their usual appearance allows them to blend right in with us. Now I've known Lucien for a while, however, that doesn't give us any less of a reason to suspect him." Oliver lectured.

"Your entirely right, we need a plan though. As a Crime Scene Investigator, the first evidence is to check the scene. The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime. Worst case scenario he doesn't I get to analyze all of the evidence we gather. Considering I work with the police, I should have no problem gaining access. "Barry spoke, vocalizing his formulating ideas.

"The police force and department of an entirely different city, Barry. This isn't Central City. Things are done massively different here. They have their own personnel, which I'm pretty sure is not very welcoming to outsiders they feel are trying to intrude." Oliver said with conviction, verbalizing the cracks, crease, and crevices he's noticed within Barry's less than stellar idea.

"It doesn't hurt to try," Barry spoke, reveling in determination.

"Then, by all means, go right ahead, Barry. But if this doesn't work~" Oliver was interrupted.

"It will," Barry nodded.

"But if it doesn't, you'd risk blowing our cover" Oliver articulated, with slight concern.

"Oliver, I'm pretty sure our covers' are already at risk of being exposed. Vixen operates in Detroit. The Flash operates out of Central City, and Star City is the one that's protected by The Green Arrow. None of those cities are Chicago, so what's to be expected when three new faces show up on the scene, and then those three?" Mari asked, putting her concerns into words.

"Chicago is a huge tourist attraction, Mari. In our civilian garb, we should fit right in. No one will pay us any mind, because people roll in and out of Chicago day in and day out." Oliver voiced his opinion.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Barry and Mari asked Oliver in unison.

"I personally believe that right now, splitting up may be our best option. I'll go talk to Lucien, try to find out what he knows, cause it's obviously a whole lot more than he's letting on. The two of you go to the crime scene and investigate. Probe the surroundings for anything that might give us an edge." Oliver ordered.

"Okay, I know this is a myth, but until yesterday I'm certain we all thought vampires were too, what about the stuff of legends, like garlic," Mari suggested.

"Actually, not a bad idea, Mari. I'll stock up on some for precaution. It's not guaranteed to work, but certainly, it won't hurt to try.

So the three heroes prepared for their task. Oliver stacked his Green Arrow costume and his bow and arrows in a duffle bag. Barry ran out to grab some garlic and he returned mere seconds later with more than enough. He gave Oliver some for sake keeping and then Oliver left, off to the mansion of Lucien Castle. While Barry exchanged garlic with Mari.

"If they don't let me investigate, I can use flash time to scan the entire building before they realized I've moved," Barry explained to Mari.

"Flash time?" Mari asked, appropriately confused.

"Yeah, it's when I go so fast, it's like everybody else is standing still, and it can happen to anybody in physical contact with me while I do it." Barry gave some exposition into his abilities.

"I can't even begin to fathom, comprehend, or understand your powers, so I think I'm better off just not trying," Mari responded slyly.

"Says the woman that can summon animal spirits and let said animal instincts take over." Barry shot back sarcastically.


	5. Interrogation

Meanwhile, a few blocks into the urban part of the city, sat a mansion of sorts, a house with three floors, and approximately 20 rooms. Oliver Queen knocked on the door.

The door opened; it was Lucian Castle.

"Well, hello, Oliver." Lucien greeted.

"Hello again, Lucien. Can we talk?" Oliver asked.

"Come on inside," Lucien invited.

Oliver walked in. The house was huge, a chandelier and a double-sided staircase, a 70-inch tv hanging up on the wall, 3 leather white couches; well two sofas and a love seat, a little coffee table in the center of them with a 4 candlestick on top. And walls seemingly endless bookshelves with countless books

"Go ahead, sit down, make yourself comfortable." Lucian offered.

Oliver sat on one of the stools in the kitchen.

"Tea?" Lucien asked, trying to be a courteous host.

"No, thank you," Oliver responded, turning it down.

"So, what do you want to talk about, Oliver? What happened to Queen Consolidated? It's Palmer Technologies now, eh?" Lucien asked.

"Yeah, I had other priorities, and being CEO of Queen Consolidated both diverted and divided my attention, which I couldn't afford to continue," Oliver explained.

"That's a shame, a real pity rather because Kingmaker Land Development Inc. and Queen Consolidated were tremendous assets when affiliated with one another," Lucien remarked referring to the relationship between his own company and Oliver's previous one. As Lucien talked, Oliver noticed a particular type of ring on Lucien's right index finger.

"Lucien, I noticed your ring, are you married?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Oh, this thing," Lucien said holding his hand up to gaze at the ring.

"No, it's not one of those types of rings I assure you, just a fashion statement," Lucien reassured.

"Lucien, what can you tell me about the massacre at the museum, yesterday? Do you know of anything? I'm helping Barry with this case. Do you perhaps have any substantial information that could be of assistance? Do you know or can identify the type of culprit we're looking for? Anything that at least, might give me a lead, or some clues? This is your city, and you're highly respected, there must be something you could tell me that would be of some use? Like a reason why Drake was there in the first place?" Oliver asked with contempt.

"Well, Oliver Queen, always the hasty one. Relax a bit, you remind me of a lot of your father during his Queen Consolidated phase, rash. How does one come into my city, show up at my doorstep, invited inside, but yet, you're the one who's doing the interrogation?" Lucien asked sarcastically.

"Not an interrogation, Lucien. Just an investigation. My friend Mari said she saw your friend Drake at the scene of the crime, so I just figured- Oliver was interrupted.

"OH, I'm certainly not denying that he was there that day, he was admiring a piece from a curator we're both fond of, his name is Niklaus Mikaelson. I guess your friend Mari has some rather delectable taste herself." Lucien commented slyly.

"Niklaus Mikaelson?" Oliver asked, curious.

"Ahh yes, the infamous, notorious, Niklaus Mikaelson. We were actually friends once, during our days acquainted with each other, he was known as the big bad wolf." Lucien exposited.

"Was there any reason for that particular nickname?" Oliver pressed.

"Let's just say, he was broken. He felt abandoned and betrayed by his family. One of his favorite lines of literature, which also is some very strong motivation, by the way, was the one where it speaks on the baby wolf cub. You know what they say, the saying was/is, 'You throw the cub out to the wolves, he'll come back leading the pack' as the alpha. That, my friend, is Niklaus Mikaelson. Everything he did or does rather, is with aggression, with anger in his eyes, rage, but most of all, sadness, and you could see it in his art, as well as his eyes." Lucien elaborated.

What was the relationship between the two of you, you mentioned that the two of you were fond of each other? How did you two meet?" Oliver inquired.

"Well, if it is that important that you must find out, Niklaus, he was my savior." Lucien elucidated.

"What do you mean, by, he saved you?" Oliver pried.

"He saved me. He saved me from being a hopeless romantic, in love with a girl that loved him, and in doing so, he subsequently saved me from myself, with me failing to notice or realize it at first." Lucien continued.

"So, do you guys still talk to each other?" Oliver questioned.

"I mean, we're cordial, he returned to his birthplace of Mystic Falls, Virginia. He's probably terrorizing the locals…with some of his more miserable art pieces that is. We grew apart. Estranged even, because of some events that took place between our families, I wish him the best though" Lucien commented.

"Okay. Thank you for your cooperation, Lucien. That will be all.

"Reluctantly as it was, you're ever the persistent one. If only that would have manifested itself in the business aspect, Queen Consolidated could have bettered the world, Alas I guess you just weren't meant for it, I'm sure the brilliant minds of Bruce Wayne, Ray Palmer, and Felicity Smoak got it all covered and under control." Lucien sarcastically added.

Oliver just snarled.

"What's the matter, Oliver? Do any of those names, in particular, mean something to you? I mean I'm sure Ray Palmer and you were well acquainted at least. Considering the Palmer Technologies takeover of Queen Consolidated. Unless, perhaps, it was a total siege?" Lucien continued to provoke.

"It was not a siege. I willingly let Ray come in, his vision was a lot clearer and better than mine, better thought out. He brought a lot to the table, that I couldn't with a divided focus. I thought I told you that already. Lucien, I'm done here." Oliver growled as he stormed towards the door.


	6. Secrets

"I don't think so," said Lucien, with some unusual speed and strength blowing by Oliver and slamming the door shut as Oliver tried to force it open.

"What the hell?!" Oliver screamed in awe as he took a step back.

"You come to my city, uninitiated, and into my home, uninvited, bombarding me with a boatload of questions, and I gave you the answers I had!" Lucien got loud, his eyes dilating all black as his pupils turned blood red.

"Now it's my turn to have a little fun. Enough of the gracious host act. I know that you know something. You're on to something, and I'm not letting you out of my sight until I figure out exactly what it is. Now I can force you to tell me what you know, but where is the fun in that? I'd much rather get it out of you after hearing your blood-curdling screams for help and mercy." Lucien threatened, adding a base to his voice.

Meanwhile at the Museum,

The police surrounded the museum and the obligatory cautionary yellow tape around the parameters. Barry and Mari began walking towards it together.

"Barry, I'll go to the library and see what I could find out there," Mari suggested.

"Yeah, cause asking the locals probably won't do us any good here. Even if they do know something, they're going to be too spooked to talk about it, so it's best to check all avenues." Barry added, agreeing to the separation sentiment. As Mari walked away, Barry approached an African-American police officer, who appeared to be the captain.

"This area is obviously off-limits, so who the hell are you?" The police officer asked aggressively.

"I'm Barry Allen, a crime scene investigator from Central City. I was sent here to check the details of the massacre because we're working on a case with similar unexplained elements." Barry fabricated, showing the officer his CSI license.

"Who's your captain?" the officer prodded.

"That would be me, Pike, you could let him in." said a gorgeous Caucasian lady walking up behind Barry with brownish hair, getting off her police motorcycle.

"Captain Drake!? Yes, mam, Pike said as he saluted, then walked off, leaving the only non-sealed entrance.

"Dinah, what are you doing here?" said Barry as he turned around and hugged his friend.

"Being a police captain does have its perks, Barry Allen. I have eyes and ears all across Star City, and even Central City since I used to be a cop there as well. You'd really think I'd let the two of you dive right into this chaos without any backup. I don't need a bow and arrow or superspeed to follow a lead." Dinah exclaimed.

"You didn't tell the rest of the team, did you?" Barry asked nervously.

"I know how to keep things under wraps. I didn't but knowing Cisco, Felicity, and Curtis, it won't be long before they figure it out. So, we need to work quickly." Dinah reminded.

"You're right," Barry noted.

"Now go in there, do your speedster CSI thing and hurry out. So that we can reconvene with Oliver and Mari." Dinah gave Barry a friendly order.

Barry turned and followed orders, he ran in and scanned the entire museum and examined the victims, while Dinah stood guard on the outside, making sure nobody bothered him.

Meanwhile, at the local library four blocks down

Mari walked in the doors and then proceeded to walk towards the counter so that she could ask the librarian, an older, short, Caucasian lady with glasses and white hair, where to find certain books.

"Hello miss, excuse me?" Mari beckoned for the lady's attention in a polite notion.

"Yes, my dear, how may I assist you this afternoon?" The lady responded.

"I'm looking for some fiction books, about vampire myths, preferably anything based on the east coast, or even Chicago.

"The only such book, I know of, is right here." Said the older lady as she turned and reached for a book off shelves.

"Here you go, darling, enjoy." The old lady said as she presented Mari with the book.

"Thank you, mam," Mari returned the politeness and courtesy as she gently took the book from the elder lady's hand. She read the title and was in awe.

'The ripper of Montreal, written in 1912 by Lexi Branson.' Mari read the title to herself silently.

'I always knew the vampire myths stretched across centuries, the only thing now is, there might actually be some truth to these homicidal night crawling beasts, after what I saw yesterday.' Mari thought.

She sat at a table and opened the book.

The first line read 'To understand what I'm about to tell you, you need to do something first. You need to believe in the impossible.' Mari read.

'We're all aware of that everyone has some corruptness in them. It's part of what we call the disease of the heart. Even the most wholesome of people to ever have existed have it. Majority of the time

though, for the good people, it goes unnoticed. But then, madness happens. After numerous traumas, a void begins to form. When that void forms, it becomes a hole; a black hole, a gaping vortex, and that is how the darkness enters. Once the darkness enters, it never leaves entirely. A bit, a piece, even chunks of it may exit, but it is never gone completely. Rather we just learn how to suppress and/or control it. For some of us, that mastery takes seconds, others in minutes, others in hours. For some, it takes days, weeks, months, years, even decades and sometimes centuries to combat the darkness entirely. That's why in our times of darkness, we need help. We need friends, family, a team. We need those people around us to be our constant reminder that darkness cannot exist without light. Now many us grew up learning through school about evolution and the Charles Darwin theory, only to realize, that that's just it. A theory, not based on facts, just some rather illogical conclusions and assumptions based on perhaps some potentially coincidental similarities between humans and primates. That's beside the point though. The point I'm trying to make by referencing all this is that that is all science, man-made things. We forget about god, and what was bestowed upon us. God gave us some unique abilities, some things that others just weren't blessed with. That element is called magic. Now, before you get way too entirely cynical, I'm not talking about the entertainment acts, like Houdini cutting someone in half or making them disappear or pulling rabbits out of their hats. What I'm talking about is actual magic. The ability to turn regular human beings into bloodsucking monsters. That's what happened to me, fortunately, I was able to catch myself pretty quickly. My friend Stefan Salvatore, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. He gave in to the bloodlust and became a ruthless, savage beast just like what was foretold. He couldn't fight it, that is until he met me. I taught him and I trained him how to feel again. I taught him resistance. That being guilty, having remorse, regret is a beautiful thing. It allows you to regain your humanity.' Mari continued to read.


	7. So, What's The Plan?

Meanwhile at the Museum,

"Dinah, I scanned the entire building, took a swab of all the victimized workers, it appears that they were all bitten, by one person, just like what Mari told Oliver and myself what she saw. Bitten in the neck. I'll run samples to see if it all traces back to Drake. You're welcomed to come to reconvene at the warehouse." Barry offered.

"Gladly, and I'll tell the police force to send back up to guard the parameter." Dinah accepted, hopping on her police motorcycle. Barry ran to the warehouse with his flash speed. Dinah tried her best to keep up on her police motorcycle, which was decently fast, but couldn't keep up with even Barry's most moderate of flash speed. Barry waited for Dinah to pull first, however, before entering. When she arrived, they entered together.

Meanwhile, back at Lucien's castle

Oliver, still tied up, screams. "What do you mean by The Count encompasses all?! If Drake lays a hand on my friends, I will- "Oliver was cut off.

"You'll what? You'll kill him? You'll kill me? Hilarious to think you'd get that opportunity!" Lucien interrupted, as he stabbed Oliver's other hand.

"Now tell me, what do you know?!" Lucien said commanding answers.

Back at the warehouse

As soon as Barry and Dinah entered the warehouse, the door closed. The guars surrounded the building on the outside, just as ordered by Captain Dinah Drake. It was dark, and though Dinah didn't immediately realize; Barry noticed that someone else was in there with them. There was a shadowy silhouette Barry saw go by with uncanny speed, though still not as fast as him.

"Dinah, someone is here!" Barry alerted his comrade.

"How do you know? How can you tell?" Dinah asked, confused.

"I saw someone move, fast. Not fast like me, but fast. A shadow, like a silhouette." Barry answered, quickly switching into his Flash costume that released from the ring on his finger.

"Who's there?" Dinah yelled nervously, as she slowly started to take out her black canary costume.

"The crime-fighting heroes of our comic book pages should've have been expected. I mean with both out of town credentials demanding access to our city's most recent tragedy, I was able to coordinate very quickly just how odd the two of you were. I knew there was more than meets the eye." Dracula exposited, revealing himself by stepping into a lightened area with safe enough distance from the heroes. He bore his fangs, the pale skin, the smooth slicked-back black hair, his dilated black corneas with blood-red pupils.

"Last time, I checked Dracula, you were just folklore yourself. What the hell do you want? And why did you feed on those innocent museum workers?!" Barry questioned audaciously.

"See, that's the problem with you humans, metas or whatever they call your kind today. You're quick to always cling to the quality called humanity, which, by the way, is severely overrated. You're too fast and impatient to jump to conclusions that the victims were innocent, is that the perpetrator performed such heinous actions just off the uncontrollable pettiness feelings of rage and hatred. That's just an entire fallacy." Dracula noted.

"The truth of the matter is that none of these people were innocent. There are some very indecent human beings. Some deserved to be punished immensely for their actions. Another misconception is that the lot of you always tend to be predetermined, is that the accused wants a bargain, and that someone was sending a message, and that that person wants or require a person's skills and/or abilities all to help his personal gain.

"You're right, humanity does have its faults, and perfection is not attainable. People do indeed make mistakes. I've made mistakes, but the good they do far outweighs the bad. And you're not the authority on all. You have no right to be judge, jury, and executioner." Dinah responded, fully decked out now in her Black Canary heroine attire.

"She's right. I don't know your existence, if you had some accident that turned you into what you are, or if you were born this way. I don't even know entirely what you, a vampire? Whatever you are, you don't have to do this. You can be better. Now I don't know if you are or ever was human but hold on to your humanity. Every life you take, you get further and further away from that." The Flash added.

"You're right, you're both right. I don't need to do this, any of it. I just want to!" Dracula exclaimed. Using his vamp speed to catch Barry off guard and chokeslam him against the wall. Dinah used her canary cry to throw the count off, forcing his release of the red-clad hero. With Barry now freed, weakened from both Dracula's assault, and Dinah's scream, he used flash time to conjure lighting and throw it at The Count, sending him flying into the wall. Barry was concerned about Dinah, so he checked on her. She was fine, but when they turned around, Dracula was gone, with the door left open, serving the double purpose of revealing that night had fallen.

"Woah," Dinah and Barry spoke in united shock.

"Oliver!, Barry screamed, remembering his friend might be in danger.

"And Mari, Barry added.

"Mari McCabe? As in Vixen, she's here with you guys too? Dinah inquired.

"Yeah, she said she was going to follow her own lead at the local library," Barry mentioned.

"Well I'll go get her, while you try to find Oliver's whereab-" Dinah was cut off by Barry leaving and returning with Mari withing a few seconds.

"Woah, what the hell happened?" Mari asked veraciously.

"We had a run-in with Lucien's friend, Drake, he got away, after sniffing out our identities and really putting a number on Barry. Thank god for his speed healing, but we agreed it's time to reconvene so we can discuss any leads we've found." Dinah explained.

"Well, Oliver said he was going to have a talk with Lucien at his house, so if my gut feeling is right, he's in trouble," Barry exclaimed.

"Yeah, and Lucien is one of Chicago's wealthiest businessmen, according to Oliver at least, so his house shouldn't be so difficult to find." Mari added.

"Yeah, but we're outsiders. We can't just barge inside somebody's house. At least take me with you so we can do this properly, with a warrant to search and investigate.


	8. Informant

Meanwhile, back at the castle

Drake had arrived, bearing some rather perplexing news with him for Lucien's ears.

"Lucien, the police captain, and the CSI, but costumed heroes, I reckon your friend here is one too. They're going to come for him soon, they know who I am, and they're extremely suspicious of you. So compel him to forget and-"Drake was cut off by the bell ringing.

"It's them." He exclaimed, before motioning towards the door. Lucien quickly grabbed Oliver by the jaw and he forced his eyes to gaze upon his own.

"You will forget all of this, all you will remember is that we talked, and the mere mention of Niklaus, Mystic Falls, and New Orleans," Lucien commanded, pulling the knife out of Oliver's hand, grabbing a napkin to wipe the blood off, and untying him.

Drake opened the door.

"Drake, on the count of the visiting police captain, you and your housemate Lucien Castle, are under heavy investigation for the massacre-" Dinah was cut off by Oliver walking to the door.

"Dinah, it's okay. I'm okay As I said, Lucien and I just had a little talk." Oliver noted, before waving bye to Lucien and Drake.

The four of them returned to the warehouse.

"So, let's talk about leads," Oliver ordered.

"We were attacked by Lucien's friend Drake." Barry was quick to inform Oliver.

"Yeah, incredible strength, fangs, and though his speed didn't rival Barry's, it certainly wasn't lackluster either," Dinah noted.

"We appreciate the helping hand, Dinah, but what are you even doing here? I thought I made it clear I wanted my team to have nothing to do with this." Oliver reminded, furiously.

"I apologize, Oliver, but I had to disobey. The rest of the team still doesn't know, but I had to help. I couldn't let you and Barry tackle this mystery alone. Didn't know Mari was here, but still.

"As I said, we appreciate the help, but no one else finds out. Not Felicity, Not Diggle. No one!" Oliver ordered with intensity

"Sara and Constantine know already, they're the ones who told me. Sara said they were interested in the league that's how she got whiff." Barry reminded.

"Well, the one thing, we can't do is split up. He gave me a name and a couple of locations. Niklaus Mikaelson, the curator of the picture Mari and Drac first encountered each other over, He said they were friends, albeit estranged right now. He said he saved him. And he also alluded that we could find him in either New Orleans, Louisiana or Mystic Falls, Virginia." Oliver recalled.

"That's impossible though. That painting was curated in 1912." Mari recounted.

"I mean, these are officially vampires we're dealing with. Until we gather more intel, we have no choice but to believe in the myths of their immortality. I mean, considering the circumstances, it's not so farfetched." Barry added.

"Especially, not after fighting an immortal like Vandal Savage. I feel as though there's something else. There's more that took place while I was at Lucien's, but I can't seem to recall." Oliver mentioned.

"It's called mind compulsion, the lead I was following, lead to this book I was reading the library, written by one of them. It mentioned that all vampires were initially human, and upon being transformed, everything is heightened, including the bloodlust. It was magic that transformed them. I also saw Drac use it yesterday when he compelled two the workers, one not to scream, the other not to panic." Mari noted.

"We need to attack this at the source. Magic and mysticism, The League's involvement, the Merlyn connection, looks like we're going to Nanda Parbat. One thing I learned in my time dealing with the league and meeting Constantine on Lian Yu is that, when it comes to anything magical, there's always a way to reverse it. So it appears as though a trip to Nanda Parbat is an obligation to help sort this mess out, a necessity if we're going to get to the bottom of this." Oliver concluded.

"Call Sara, Call Constantine. I'll call Thea, Nyssa, and Roy, and see where their progress is at with The Lazarus pit extermination and the Thanatos guild pursuit." Oliver demanded as he walked away, pulling out his phone.

The heroes, though Oliver was reluctant, took a well-needed rest for the night, and resumed their task at dawn.

Meanwhile, hours earlier back the castle

Lucien's on the phone.

"Klaus, old friend. I have some rather interesting news for you." Lucien snarled.

"Well, if it isn't the first sire, Lucien Castle," Klaus responded on the other end.

"Someone is after us, there's four of them and however many more friends they have. Drake and I subdued them for a time, but we were forced to release them. I didn't get the opportunity to find out everything they know, but I can say for certain at least they know about us." Lucien mentioned

"Why in the bloody hell would you be forced to release them, instead of ripping all of their bloody heads off, or at the very least, compelling the knowledge they gathered out of them." Klaus snarled back with ever more ferocity.

"Because, old friend. In case you might have forgotten, I can't do these dastardly deeds that you've become notorious and infamous for, I have an image to uphold here in this city, that's why I directed them your way. besides, Oliver Queen is a rather polarizing public figure, if you're not caught up." Lucien responded with fierceness of his own.

"Oliver Queen, heir to the demon. The man who once became Ra's Al Ghul, the demon's head, Al-Sahim, Arabic for The Arrow. Very well done Lucien. I applaud you." Klaus said with a devilish grin. And then hung up the phone


	9. Introduction

_Previously on The Vampire Diaries. The young brunette, aged 17, slim built, 5'7 in height, long hair, light in skin tone/color, named Elena Gilbert spoke to a woman, who didn't physically appear much older, named Rose. Rose had short brown hair, roughly the same height as Elena at 5'7, and was of a medium build, and maybe perhaps one shade darker at best. _

"So you're telling me the oldest vampire in history is coming after me?" Elena asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

_Later, and now Elena is conversing with a very charismatic youthful-looking gentleman, donning a suit, some slight stubble, slicked-back brown hair, the average height of 5'11, with a complexion around the same as Elena's perhaps a td lighter. The two of them sat in at one of Elena's childhood's friend's house. Tyler Lockwood, the son of Mayor Carol Lockwood, who the house truly belonged to, and had a conversation. The man's name was Elijah. Elijah Mikaelson. He was explaining to Elena about his family's treacherous history, both with the world, but more importantly, each other_.

"There's a whole family of Originals?" Elena questioned.

"My father was a wealthy landowner in a village in Eastern Europe. Our mother bore seven children." Elijah replied.

"So, your parents were human?" Elena asked, without trying to intrude.

"Our whole family was. Our origin as vampires is a very long story, Elena. Just know...We're the oldest vampires in the world. We are the Original family, and from us all vampires were created." Elijah responded with semi-contempt.

"So, as you've seen, nothing can kill an Original. Not Sun, not fire, not even a werewolf bite. Only the wood from one tree. A tree my family made sure burned." Elijah explained.

"That's where the white ash for the dagger comes from." Elena conjured.

"Yes. The witches won't allow anything truly immortal to walk the earth. Every creature needs to have a weakness in order to maintain the balance." Elijah responded.

"So, if the sun can't kill an Original, why is Klaus so obsessed with breaking the Sun and Moon curse?" Elena asked, curiously.

"Right, The curse of the sun and the moon. It's all so...biblical-sounding, don't you think?" Elijah noted, with a cheeky smile spreading across his face.

"What's so funny?" Elena questioned, dubious.

_"_Tell me. What is Klaus's curse? Elena asked, curiously, as she took off her jacket.

"Please sit," Elijah offered, studiously as though he was the host, and this was his or his family's home. So, the two of them sat down

"My family was quite close, but Klaus and my father did not get on too well. When we became vampires, we discovered the truth. Klaus was not my father's son. My mother had been unfaithful many years before. This was her darkest secret. Klaus is from a different bloodline. Of course, when my father discovered this, he hunted down and he killed my mother's lover and his entire family. Not realizing, of course, that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day." Elijah elaborated.

"A war between the species?" Elena pried, confused.

"The vampires...and the werewolves." Elijah continued.

"So, Klaus' real father was from a werewolf bloodline? What does that make Klaus? A werewolf? Or a vampire?" Elena inquired, shocked and dumbfounded at the revelation she was receiving.

"He's both. A hybrid would be deadlier than any werewolf or vampire. Nature would not stand for such an imbalance of power. Therefore, the witches, the servants of nature, saw to it that my brother's werewolf side would become dormant." Elijah further elucidated.

"That's the curse that Klaus wants to break?"

Elijah: He wants to trigger that part of him that's a werewolf. If allowed, Klaus would sire his own bloodline. He'd build his own race. Endangering not just vampires, but everyone.

_Elijah's brother; the infamous Niklaus Mikaelson; The notoriously fabled Big Bad Wolf, the one, the only, The Original Hybrid. He stood at 5'11 as well, also a medium build, with dark blonde-ish hair, he was also a shade or two lighter than Elijah in terms of skin complexion. Klaus throughout the years was known for being diabolical, but also charming. He knew how to flip the switch. He also had quite a temper._

_Later, after making a false promise to his older brother Elijah in a chaotic battle of their lives, Klaus broke the spell that forced him to keep his werewolf side bonded. Feeling as though his actual family had betrayed him, he intended to start a new one, one who he knew he would never have to question their loyalty. A family of hybrids, so that he wouldn't be the only one of his kind. But he needed aid. An ally, someone he once called a friend. And since he daggered his brother and put him in a comatose state and laid him in a coffin along with the rest of their immediate family sans their father, Klaus' (stepfather) Michael, the vampire hunter, the vampire who hunts and feeds on other vampires, and their eldest sister Freya, who was dead by way of a black plague back in their youngest years in Europe, or so they thought and were told to believe by their mother, the original witch. The witch of the original family, Esther. He got assistance, however, regardless of how reluctant. Stephen Salvatore aided him in his conquest. As a reward for healing his brother, the vampire Damon Salvatore, who was bitten by a werewolf. A bite from a werewolf/hybrid is fatal to a vampire. Klaus's blood is the only cure. As a reward for giving Stephen the amount of blood required to cure Damon, Stephen in return pledged his allegiance to Klaus. In that time, he was forced to revert to the persona of his old ripper days. The ripper of 1912. The ripper of Monterey. Together, the two of them left Mystic Falls behind for a time, traveling the eastern coast, searching for wolves' packs to turn. They were failing, and Klaus had no idea why. So, he went to an old friend/acquaintance, a witch named Gloria. Gloria figured it out and discussed it with Stephen, without Klaus' knowledge. In the midst of all this, Klaus was edged by Gloria to un-dagger his younger sister, Rebekah. Rebekah Mikaelson, previously an old flame of Stephen's past which he didn't initially remember, and the younger sister of Elijah and Klaus, was known as the blonde bombshell. Around the same complexion as her brother Elijah, Rebekah stood at 5'7 in stature with a medium build and long blonde hair. She got her temper and many of her mannerisms from her brother, Niklaus. She both loved and loathed her brothers, as well as being a vampire. She longed for a human life, though she often to advantage of her original vampiric strengths, such as the mid compulsion, the speed, and the strength._


	10. History

_She once had a spark with Stefan Salvatore, during his more notorious days as a ripper. Stefan was compelled to forget and then remember years later by Klaus, who, with this revelation, also revealed them to be former friends. Vampires can compel humans, and originals can compel vampires as well, no one can compel an original. Time trying, the family drama of the Mikaelsons ran rampant throughout the entirety of the city of Mystic Falls like a plague, for the better part of a year, with Klaus finally succeeding in turning hybrids, thanks to the blood of Elena, who was very much alive. Not, the original family, though quickly reunited save for Mikael, quickly dispatched once more due to deception and Finn and Esther's attempts to eliminate them all. Finn fled to California. Elijah stayed with Klaus for an attempt to redeem their family, Rebekah stayed as well. Kol, however, went to Corto- Maltese for a time._

Kol stood at 6'1, medium built, with brown slightly spiked slick back hair. Kol was much more outlandish than the rest of his family, outdoing Klaus even. While Klaus had some semblance of control and Elijah remained mostly reserved, while Rebekah knew how to clean up well after herself, and Finn mostly obtained from indulgence altogether, Kol embraced the bloodlust. He intentionally let it consume him. However, after waking up from being daggered for decades, Kol decided it was time for a change of pace. He heard of the peaceful town of Corto-Maltese and decided to pay it a visit. He knocked on a door to a rather nice sized house. A man answered this man was Malcolm Merlyn. Malcolm Merlyn stood at 6'0, of a fair skin tone, and had black smooth slicked-back hair.

"Can I help you?" Malcolm asked, clearly contempt.

"Are you the one known as 'The Magician'?" Kol questioned.

"Who wants to know?" Malcolm snarled.

"The name's Kol Mikaelson. I believe your real name is Malcolm Merlyn?" Kol replied with a conniving grin, extending his hand for Malcolm to shake.

"You obviously know something, so why don't you come inside, and we can chat with a little bit more exclusivity," Malcolm suggested. Now, Kol has been invited inside, with Merlyn unaware of Kol's origins. Kol entered, still grinning, and closed the door behind himself. The two walked over to a dining table with three brown high-up wooden chairs, and Kol sat.

"Who the hell are you, kid?!" Malcolm demanded, drawing the sword he had sheathed to the wall and placing it at Kol's neck.

"Now that's no way to treat your guess now is it?" Kol asked rhetorically, his grin turning to a fully blossomed smile as he grabbed the sword by its tip and flung Malcolm into the wall with it.

"What the hell are you, kid?! And what do you want to know?" Malcolm raised his voice, though not screaming, slightly dazed he was from the encounter.

"First, let's establish a few ground rules. I am no child. Don't let my physical appearance deceive you, I'm much older than my dashing ravishing good looks would care to suggest, and secondly, I can rip your heart out without second's notice. Lastly' I'm the one asking the questions here, and I believe I asked you a couple already, without receiving a proper response." Kol responded.

"Yes, I am Malcolm Merlyn, formally known as 'The Magician.'" Malcolm exclaimed, standing up, wiping the debris off.

"Ah, yes, 'The Magician.' The man who cheated death more than a cat with nine lives. The man who made national news for trying to level part of Starling City, 'The Glades,' correct? The former CEO of Merlyn Global Group. The man who was apparently killed The Undertaking. Only, your right here, I just want to know how?" Kol interrogated.

"How do you know all of this? "Malcolm questioned.

"As I mentioned, I've been around a long time, Malcolm. A millennium in fact. And in that time, I've been to different places, met different people. I've also heard a lot of stories, some so obviously fiction, but then there are others, like yours, that sounds like it could be plausible. I have all the time in the world to investigate these facts. When news of 'The Undertaking and the revelation of your company being behind 'The Queen's Gambit 'accident' spread, I said I want to see if this magician is the real deal. And well, here you are, right in the flesh" Kol elaborated.

"Right. The League of Assassins' secrets is the reason I live, and if I divulge their secrets, although I'm no longer a member, well, let's just say, Ra's Al Ghul has a way of making people beg for death." Malcolm retorted.

"Ahh, The League of Assassins, I believe my brother Klaus had a run-in with them. The original Ra's Al Ghul, a few hundred years ago." Kol commented.

"Klaus, as in Niklaus?" Malcolm asked curiously.

"Precisely, so you've heard of him. Well, I shouldn't be baffled much; my family's reputation is quite infamous." Kol chuckled.

"So, then the stories of the big bad wolf are true?" Malcolm asked.

"Ah, yes that's what they've always called him. My bastard brother, the one who rules with fear. Please, tell me more about these stories. Enlighten me." Kol requested, reveling in the moment.

"Well, when I first joined the league, I was broken. I killed an innocent man who I thought killed my wife. My son was taken from me. Ra's found me and said I had potential. He told me I could do more, be better. He said I could make a difference. So, he took me in. He trained me and in time, I became a master of martial arts, swordsmanship, and a splendid tactician if I do say so myself. Once the members became adjusted to my presence. They began to share prophecies. They said the original Ra's Al Ghul, trained in every fighting style around the world, and became proficient in almost every one of them. He was an explorer. He came across a museum in New Orleans, where he came across this picture of three wolves, two cubs, and their alpha, under the full moonlight with only five stars in the sky. A man came by, claiming to be the curator. That man introduced himself as Niklaus. So, Ra's requested that he teach him this skill, and also how to intrepid it. So, Klaus took him to his home. And he carved another masterpiece. This time it was two grown wolves, the regular alpha, and then the muscle-bound humanoid looking one. He explained to Ra's that this meant that the regular alpha, though the leader of the pack, hadn't reached its full potential yet. That there was still another level to ascend, another gear to shift into, but something stood in between. Ra's questioned him, 'So are you the big bad wolf' Ra's asked. Niklaus, however, just smiled. Niklaus, offered Ra's to stay the night, Ra's accepted wearily. Klaus walked into the room where Ra's was staying while he was assumed, he was resting. Instead, Ra's was wielding a bow and tennis balls, perfecting his aims with a dartboard.

"Your skills with the bow are impeccable." Niklaus commented.

"You're too kind. Your art is majestic, magical, flawless even. Do you have any family?" Ra's asked.

Back to the present.

"There it is. Right there That's always been the million-dollar question, hasn't it?" Kol asked rhetorically, obviously annoyed.

"I can't wait to hear his answer, he didn't mention me, I presumed." Kol inferred.

"None of your family was mentioned by name, his only response was" Malcolm said, flashing back to the conversation with Ra's and Klaus.

"I did once, but they scattered across the lands, in the wind," Nikaus remarked with obvious regrets.

"Back to your pristine, you need soldiers," Niklaus noted.

"For what war?" Ra's questioned.

"You don't recruit when the war starts, you build an army so big and powerful that no one would dare pick a fight," Klaus exclaimed.


	11. Malcolm's Side

"Teach them some of your skills, but never show any of them everything. Always have an ace or two up your sleeve, in case they try to rebel. Not ninjas, more like assassins. The Japanese saying is 'Aku Soku Zan' which means slay evil immediately. The head of the demon, Ra's Al Ghul." Niklaus suggested.

Back to the present.

"So, my brother inadvertently is responsible for the creation of The League Of Assassins? Well, what a surprise." Kol remarked.

"And that's all I know of your brother, I swear." Malcolm pleaded.

"I'll be sure to interrogate Nik when I get back to Mystic Falls, hear his side of things. Provided he doesn't try to stick a dagger in my heart again first. However, that still doesn't alleviate my concerns about your rather ostentatious preservation, considering the many times you've returned from certain doom and destruction." Kol said, reminding Malcolm that although he told him a story, it hadn't answered the questions he was initially asked.

"I told you if I tell you what I know of The League and their secrets then Ra's Al Ghul will-"Malcolm was cut off. Kol used his vampiric speed and strength to slam Malcolm against the wall by his neck.

"And I thought I made it abundantly clear by this point that I really don't give a damn. Either you value your bloody life and tell me, or Ra's and The League will be the least of your worries," Kol remarked, slamming Malcolm against the wall with a fierce grip on his neck.

"Get off of him!" screamed a young lady with light brown hair and a tint of blond, medium-length semi bowl cut, fair skin, about 5'5 wearing all black and drawing Malcolm's blade, towards the back of Kol's head as he faced the wall he had Malcolm pinned against.

"And who is this ravishingly exquisite girl," Kol said, losing his focus, releasing his grip on Malcolm, turning 180 degrees to meet the girl's eyes, and palm the tip of the sword once again, with his signature grin.

"Thea, sweetie, don't do this, I don't know what the hell this dude it, but I can't lay a finger on him," Malcolm warned.

"Sweetie, your sister then I presume, or your daughter even?" Kol said as he broke the sword in half and grabbed Thea's arm.

"Neither one of you are going anywhere until I get the answers I've come in search of. Oh, and Merlyn, if I don't get them, then Thea's heart will be ripped right from her pretty little chest." Kol threatened as he slammed Thea against the coffee table breaking it.

"Alright, I'll talk." Malcolm submitted.

"Oh, and Merlyn, in addition to The League's secrets, I want to know all of your personal ways of escaping death, as well. You're off the grid in such a peaceful town like this right, no one would look here for a reformed criminal correct? So, spill the beans, a man of your history is bound to know at least a few good workarounds." Kol ordered.

"Now, you're pushing it," Malcolm exclaimed, raising his voice.

"I don't think you're in any position to make demands or be subjective," Kol reminded, by adding pressure to Thea's arm, forcing a scream.

"Alright, you win. The Lazarus Pits. Pits around the world in secluded locations, containing eternal elements, can restore those back to life who've recently died, though with a bloodlust unlike anything experienced, as it infuses a small bit of each of the personalities from the others that have been dipped in that particular pit. The bloodlust doesn't cease until at least one life is taken by the revived body's hand. Only then, does the full soul get restored. The pits contain properties from every eternal thing on this earth. Dwarf Star particles, the last vestiges of them known to man on this earth. Spirit of a hero. Nth Metal, essence from the Rock of Eternity, and Vervain from the White Oak Tree." Malcolm explained.

"Vervain, so those dipped in it cannot be compelled I see." Kol thought aloud.

"Compelled? What the hell are you?" Thea screamed, while still locked In the armbar of Kol.

"Me? Well, I'm the stuff of nightmares. I'm one of those monsters the kids scream about at night. A vampire, fangs and all." Kol said, baring his fangs.

"But carry on Malcolm, how did YOU survive?" Kol interrogated further.

"I never used the pit, but I have learned tricks, how to shift your heart for a moment when stabbed, how certain herbs and connections are all you need to prolong your life," Malcolm exclaimed.

"That's all, you wasted my precious time for that. I should kill the two of you right now. I am immortal, it's the things that are that I'm trying to destroy. My family burned down that blasted White Oak. Well, you're in luck, cause you knowing the whereabouts of these pits is reason enough to keep you alive for now." Kol taunted.

"I know that every pit is guarded by league members, all laced with Vervain and torture won't help, as they've all been conditioned to endure even the harshest of it, accepting death as a more honorable cause. The only one I actually know of though, is league headquarters, Nanda Parbat." Malcolm continued.

"Now, please, let my daughter go, leave her out of this." Malcolm begged.

"Now, why would I do that, when I'm not done asking, isn't there some league code that if you betray the league and go against them you're as good as dead. Surely, even will all your tricks, there is no way you could be that elusive." Kol noted.

"I'm not off the hook, just out of focus. The league has bigger concerns then a rogue member, but I know for a fact they will come, eventually. That's why I have a plan." Malcolm stated.

"I would ask, but I'm not the least bit concerned about your plans for the league, so I'll leave the two of you now. Though killing you would bring me great joy, it serves no purpose and might draw some unwarranted attention that I desperately don't need right now. So, sayonara Merlyn. Oh, and Thea, call me, love." Kol winked with his signature devilish grin, before releasing Thea and scurrying away.


	12. Intel

The previous piece regarding Kol in Corto Maltese and in route to Nanda Parbat, took place around the beginning of Arrow season 3, so this is not current, Oliver's party will not encounter Kol at Nanda Parbat. As of right now, this happens before Elijah awakes his other siblings, so the remaining Originals are all still daggered.

Now, back to the present

"I could just speed us across the water it's a lot faster." Barry suggested to Oliver and Dinah who were waiting for Dinah's private SCPD Helicopter to land. Mari had already activated a pigeon and was hovering in the air above her comrades, ready to commence when given word or signal.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Barry, we got it covered. Besides, I'm sure Oliver's had enough of your running him around already for the week." Dinah nudged with a grin in Oliver's direction as the helicopter landed. The ladder came out Oliver Dinah and Barry boarded. Barry wanted to run but Oliver had made a note to him to conserve his energy for the battle ahead. Mari recognized that as well, as instead of flying, she activated the powers of a frog and used her hands as flippers to attach herself to the top of the plane. Oliver called home to Star City.

Diggle picked up.

"Dig, what's up?" Oliver asked, wanting the scoop on his inner-circle of family and friends and their status during his extended absence.

"Oliver, where the hell are you, we're in over our heads right now with Cayden James and his 'legion of doom' for lack of a better name. We're kinda undermanned here as well. At least with those of us who know how to stay level-headed in the heat of battle. Dinah's MIA, and apparently, per your request, Felicity has been spending extra time with William in your absence, which, as a father, I understand, but as a field operative, when your best help is Rene, it's kind of difficult. At the very least, Cisco has tapped in and has been helping us on the comms at least, and Curtis too." John informed.

"Understood, but I'm on a mission with Barry and Mari right now that I can't disclose, and it demands my immediate attention. Dinah is here with me. Please, stay vigilant, and make sure the others are safe." Oliver requested genuinely.

"Always, my brother. I will not fail you, and I will not fail this city." Diggle reassured before hanging up.

"Always Dig, huh, the reassuring voice of reason," Barry jokingly implied.

"Of course, without Diggle, our entire operation in Star City would fall apart." Dinah replied.

"That's why I can feel comfortable taking on missions like these because I know, with Dig at the helm back home, the team won't miss a hitch," Oliver responded, with a sigh of relief.

_'Approaching Nanda Parbat in approximately five minutes.'_

"Suit up, I won't need to, the league-The Thanatos guild, and everyone associated with Nanda Parbat, knows who I am. However, they do not know your secret identities, so if we encounter resistance, The Flash and The Black Canary might just be our ace in the hole." Oliver suggested. Barry quickly got into his suit, while Dinah reached for hers.

"Hey, I heard that! Am I not here?!" said Mari from on top of the helicopter, banging it with one hand as she continued to grip it with the other.

"Sorry Mari, not used to you tagging along," Oliver apologized with a grin. Just then, the helicopter landed. Mari hopped off and activated a cat spirit from her necklace so that she could land gracefully, as the others descended off the latter. Just as the four heroes were about to proceed on the island, another helicopter landed a keen to theirs. With a look of confusion, the four heroes watched as someone off-boarded the aircraft. It was none other than Nyssa Al Ghul.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't husband, Oliver Queen, and his misfit band of heroes. It's been a long time since you've stepped foot on this Island." Nyssa noted, referring to the league binding marriage between herself and Oliver a while back.

"Nyssa, stop that, you know I'm married now." Oliver barked back.

"I know, that adds even more fun to it!" Nyssa added.

"And I haven't had reason to come back here, until now. As I'm certain you have your reasons as well" Oliver informed/implied.

"Well, yes, in the middle of our quest to shut down the remaining Lazarus pits, your sister requested my presence here to disband the league. Thea and Roy beat me here, but they were met with resistance," Nyssa informed.

"Resistance, by who? Talia?" Oliver questioned.

"No, at least not yet no one quite knows the whereabouts of my sister as of right now. It was Merlyn's league of misfits, the bootleg/copycat league; The Thanatos Guild, led by Athena, Merlyn's former second in command. They came in conflict with them, forcing me to arrive much sooner than intended." Nyssa informed.

"Athena, huh? It was wrong of me to assume then, huh, that after the death of Merlyn, the league's followers would take kindly to Thea as the demon's heir." Oliver noted.

"You know all too well don't you, Al-Sahim." Said a voice from above, it was Talia Al-Ghul, with a sword directed at Oliver as she was coming down. Oliver, by a millisecond, managed to evade it, but Talia did not relent, quickly recovering the blade from the ground.

"Speak of the she-devil," Nyssa commented towards her sister as she unsheathed her own sword.

"Well two for the price of one, ehh?! If it isn't the traitorous baby sister of mine. You dare side with the man who killed our father?!" Talia screamed in a rage, as she swung her sword towards Nyssa, attempting to decapitate her. Nyssa managed to block it with her own blade.

"Our father was a tyrant!" Nyssa screamed while parrying another strike by her sister's blade, this time to the left leg.

"He still didn't deserve to die!" Talia exclaimed.

"You're right, for people like him, death was too easy a punishment, he should have suffered as he forced me to," Nyssa exclaimed, striking her sister in the center of her right arm.

"Barry, take the others and catch up with Thea and Roy, we'll catch up," Oliver said as he unsheathed the sword he had not used since he Merlyn's hand.

"But, Oliver, man, I don't want to leave you- "Barry was cut off.

"Barry, that was not a request!" Oliver screamed as he charged into the foray between the two sisters. Barry grabbed Dinah as Mari activated a cheetah and ran as fast as she could trying to keep pace. Barry slowed a little so Mari could catch up.

"Who made him leader, captain, or whatever. Last time I checked, this is a team, and we're partners." Mari retorted through breaths.

"That's just Oliver, don't let him get under your skin." Dinah responded as Barry put her down.

"Yeah, you haven't seen anything, the first time I went on a mission with this dude, he shot me with an arrow, two actually." Barry joked, referring to the first time The Emerald Archer and The Scarlett Speedster actually worked together.

"Albeit the rest of us don't really know this place quite like he does," Dinah noted.

"Well, I've been here before," Barry noted, grabbing Dinah and taking off as Mari followed closely behind. The three soon arrived as Thea struggled to fight off Athena and three of her followers, the rest of whom were down with arrows in them as was Roy. Barry sped through and knocked them all out, save Thea of course.

"Barry! Dinah! And um?" Thea ran and gave Dinah a hug. And then turned to give Barry a hug.

"I'm so happy you guys are here, but why exactly? Did Oliver send you? Is he here too? Is something wrong in Star City?" Thea beckoned.

"Oh, um, I'm Mari, by the way, Mari McCabe?!" Mari said.

"Oh, I remember you now, the vixen out of Detroit, you helped save William from Damian Darkh," Thea recalled, as she ran up to hug the yellow-clad heroine. Barry checked over Roy to make sure he was okay.

"Oh, and to answer your questions, yes Oliver is here, we came together, unfortunately, he and Nyssa got caught up dealing with an unexpected guest. And of course, you know things are never silent in Star City." Dinah answered.

"Oh, so Nyssa did make it then. Unexpected guest, who in the world could that be?" Thea asked curiously.

"Talia Al-Ghul," said a battered Nyssa limping into the room, with a bruised Oliver holding an injured Talia with a blade to her neck following. Oliver tossed the semi-unconscious Talia to her sister who subdued her on the floor with a knee on her back and a blade to the back of her head.

"OLLIE!" Thea squealed, elated to see her brother, running up to him and giving him an extremely tight hug.

"Ollie I've missed you so much," Thea sobbed, tears of joy, sorrow, and relief all rolling down her face as she continued to hug her brother as tight as she could.

"I've missed you too speedy," Ollie exclaimed returning the hug with one arm while using the other to ruffle his baby sister's hair.

Dinah had been splashing water on Roy and tending to his injuries, while he remained unconscious, finally, he started to come to.

"What happened, where am I," Roy said, finally opening his eyes, but his vision was still blurred.

"Roy, be still, this is going to hurt, a lot," Barry said, pulling the arrow out of Roy's abdomen.

"Barry is that-aaaahhhhhhhhhh," Roy screamed, the agonizing pain only lasting for a second. Dinah and Mari sat him up against the wall, his vision finally returning clear.

"Oliver, Dinah, Barry, what are you guys doing here?!" Roy said, happy but confused.

"Saving your asses, apparently. Roy, when the three you left Star City, I gave you one task, protect her, that simple, but we walk in on you unconscious and her fighting off Athena. Quite the role-reversal." Oliver chuckled as he walked towards his apprentice, now standing up, and gave him a hug.

"All I can say is, they caught me off guard," Roy chuckled back as he returned the hug.

"In all seriousness though, as great as it is to see you all again, why are you here?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, the four of you didn't just come to Nanda Parbat to check on us, though we do appreciate the assist. I suppose." Nyssa noted.

"Yeah, and whatever it is must be serious, considering Vixen, Green Arrow, The Black Canary, and The Flash, are together." Roy added.

"We're following up a lead, which seems to have some basis in mysticism, and whenever mysticism is involved, I come here, this place seems to know everything about magic. My only other option is John Constantine, who's literally in hell right now." Oliver replied.

"Now, what type of lead would make you leave Star and Central City, respectively?" Roy asked.

"Vampires." Barry and Mari said in unison.

"Vampires?! Don't make me laugh. Now Allen and this girl it can be expected but from you Queen, and the star city police captain, that's hilarious, I expect better." Nyssa scoffed.

"I know it's hard to believe but hear me out. We fought aliens, doppelgangers, an immortal Savage, and our friends, including Sara, are on a time ship, so after all of that, can we really rule anything out Nyssa?" Oliver said, trying to come to grips with the world they all now encompass.

"He does have a point, Nyssa, and after everything I've seen, I can vouch, anything is possible." Barry chimed in.

"Speedy, did Merlyn ever mention vampires to you?" Oliver asked his sister.

"We never spoke of it, but once, when we were in Corto Maltese, we had this visitor, I think he said his name was Kol. He came in and spoke with Merlyn, and I never saw Malcolm scared like that, especially once he mentioned the big bad wolf, his older brother, Niklaus." Thea recalled.

"Niklaus!" Nyssa and Talia both gasped.

"Does the name Niklaus mean something to you ladies?" Dinah lightly interrogated.

"Niklaus Mikaelson, if our father is to be believed, was the one who suggested the idea of The League of Assassins to the first Ra's Al Ghul," Nyssa informed.

"Yes, that's the same story Malcolm mentioned. Kol said he could've made us forget, but there was no need." Thea responded.

"Now it's all starting to make sense, this is the same Niklaus Mikaelson who curated that piece at the museum that Mari saw," Barry realized.

"And also, the one that Drake and Lucien were fond of." Dinah added.

"The ripper of Monterey, the book I picked up at the library, also mentioned Niklaus Mikaelson, he wasn't the ripper, that was Stefan Salvatore, but he was apparently a heavy influence on him as well." Mari mentioned.

"The book, that's it! That's how we find him! Mari, where was that book written, does it speak on where the author originated?" Oliver asked, enthusiastically trying to probe answers of his comrade.

"While it doesn't say where she's from, it says the main character, Stefan Salvatore, is from Mystic Falls," Mari responded.

"Mystic Falls? Lucien mentioned that as well, he also mentioned New Orleans. We might need to just cross-reference the name Mikaelson, there's at least two of them, Niklaus, and Kol, find one, we find the other." Oliver conjured.

"There's only four of us, you don't you think it's time to involve the others yet?" Barry suggested.

"No, I'm quite sure both are teams are already spread thin as it, as a matter of fact, it might be a lot to ask, but, Thea, Roy, could the two of you go back to Star City in my absence, Roy help Diggle and Rene, and Thea, spend time with William so Felicity can return to the comms?" Oliver requested.

"Sure thing, Ollie!" said Thea, with Roy nodding.

"So, I'll have Cisco cross reference," Barry suggested.

"No, Curtis is our best bet if we want to keep this under wraps for now. "Oliver retorted. He then sent a text to Felicity reading 'Dig and Rene needs you back on comms, Thea and Roy are on their way.' Oliver texted. Then he proceeds to text Curtis, 'Need your help'. He sent. 'On it' Curtis replied.

After Nyssa knocked out Talia, Oliver and his crew helped Thea and Roy clean up The Thanatos Guild Members by placing them in an Argus Facility, like the one Death-Stroke and Captain Boomerang, were being held in on Lian Yu. Talia had her own Cell, as did Athena next to her.

Just then, Oliver's phone rang, he picked it up, it was Curtis.

"Okay Oliver, I cross-referenced the last name Mikaelson, as well as Kol and Niklaus Mikaelson, the locations were narrowed down to Sunnydale California, New Orleans Louisiana, Salt Lake City Utah, and Mystic Falls, Virginia." Curtis informed.

"Thank you, Curtis, for keeping this hush from Felicity. It is imperative that the rest of the team can't find out right now." Oliver bestowed his gratitude. Nyssa sat upon the throne, and as the team of heroes prepared to board their helicopter, Thea and Roy were about to take off on Nyssa's next to theirs.

"No splitting up, Mystic Falls, Virginia seems to be the most common location name, so I advise we check there first," Dinah suggested.

"Mystic Falls, Virginia, that name of that city keeps coming up, why does it sound so familiar?" Oliver questioned himself aloud. Just then, Oliver had a flashback to his early days as The Hood/The Vigilante when he was crossing names of corrupt businessmen and politicians off his list; those who, like his father, had failed the city, the city that was back then known as Starling. One of the names on that list was Bill Forbes. Forbes funded both Merlyn Global Group and Queen Consolidated with their illicit dealings and even funded the doomed from the start Queen's Gambit. Of course, Oliver had never gone after him because he wasn't in Starling upon Oliver's return.

"Bill Forbes, a name on the list. He resides in Mystic Falls, Virginia." Oliver said.

"The list, I thought we didn't work off that anymore. That was The Vigilante's and The Hood's MO, not necessarily the Green Arrow." Roy commented.

"I'm willing to make an exception, this one time," Oliver said, everyone could hear vengeance in his voice. Oliver hugged Thea and Roy, and then those two boarded the aircraft for Star City. Then, the four heroes boarded their aircraft, Mari coming inside this time.


End file.
